


Out There, Somewhere...

by orphan_account



Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Not sure what I'm doing with this, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-11-30 21:43:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11472276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Trapped again on a filthy mudball, four Decepticons must find some means of escape...





	1. Out There

The night had been peaceful, but not inactive. 

All around him, Shockwave was capable of picking up every minute noise within 20 astro-yards of himself, if he wasn't focusing. The rush of a nearby stream, the shifting of grasses and the sounds generated by whatever creatures were the source of such shifting. A chorus of insects cried out into the night, as did various amphibious life forms.

It was a cacophony. But not one that took much effort to ignore. And when he _did_ pay it any mind, he could only think that it wasn't nearly as homely as the thrum of a generator, the whirr of a thriving mechanism-- liquid energon being swished about rather than pools of dihydrogen monoxide. 

Thus did Shockwave redouble his efforts in pinpointing Cybertron's location amidst Earth's night skies. He wasn't physically surveying the sky for it, of course-- Doing so with the naked optic would be naive at best. Rather, the scientist had been tapping a few calculations integral to the process into a datapad for the past twenty or so minutes. He sat alone, a short distance away from the reestablished Decepticon base. This would be no easy task, what with their recollections of the events which occurred immediately prior to their being stranded on this organic planet being little more than static.

Soon, heavy footsteps joined the night's orchestra, getting closer and closer. Shockwave could tell by the sound precisely who it was, as there weren't many others here with the same frametype, but he did not turn around to address his visitor, nor did he so much as glance when they sat down next to him.  
  
"You're taking much longer to do that than I recall you requiring, Shockwave," came the voice of Megatron, "Is there a complication in our ability to return, or have you been acting nostalgic instead of doing anything productive in your little nesting space over here?" 

It was a small jest, clearly, but the scientist felt inclined to take it with a degree of sincerity anyways. It was a bit late to trade barbs, especially after all of the excitement that went on over the course of this particular day cycle. "Nothing of the sort, my liege. Merely...It is taking some time to recall everything necessary in order to make these calculations. I fear I may be in need of a long defragmentation after I finish this...But perhaps we all do. A few decades in stasis does not actually leave one feeling recharged, after all."

Megatron looked away as he spoke, and Shockwave tapped a few numbers into his datapad. "This is true...But we may not have all the time necessary to reach full recharge at this very moment. Gathering resources must be our first priority, should we seek to revive ourselves completely."  
  
"Agreed," was Shockwave's short reply. He then glanced back, not at his leader, but at the base. "What is Starscream's current status? We will need them to be flight capable if we are to make any respectable progress." 

The bucket-headed tyrant gave a deep sigh. "Soundwave has managed to minimize the damage from the crash, but we lack the materials necessary to make full repairs. The three of us will have to scout for more post haste."

There was a pause between the two, as they considered their situation. It was a shame that they were the only four who appear to have awoken, to not have any troops on standby to care for such relatively mundane tasks for them, but there was little they could do until anyone managed to respond to the frequency Soundwave had begun transmitting not four hours ago. Suddenly, Shockwave received an internal alert-- hardware at 15%, recharge direly required. He saved his work and shut the datapad down immediately. 

"If your charge is as low as mine, then I believe we shall get to it...In the coming day cycle." The two of them stood up one at a time, brushing the organic matter off of their chassis, and began to walk back.

As they approached the complex, the silhouette of a certain seeker leaned against the doorway, a hand upon hip and looking towards Megatron with some form of exhausted eagerness.

"Took you long enough! Are you done gabbing, or will you grant us permission to rest, _supreme leader_?" Despite the sarcastic tone, it was clear to anyone who knew Starscream well enough to read their relief.

Megatron stepped forward, the affection in his EM field apparent, and lifted his second in command with both arms. His voice was commanding, but lined with softness. "Cease your babbling, incompetent fool...Indeed, we must all sufficiently recharge for tomorrow's work day." He nodded a farewell to Shockwave as he ducked into the base and headed for their shared quarters, Starscream cheerfully clinging to Megatron with both arms.

Now came the hardest part.

It was obvious that Soundwave, manning the terminal not a few meters away from the previous exchange, heard their leader's order. And yet, he had not moved from his position, still intently fixed upon the screen in front of him.

Locking the door behind him, and ensuring that all defense systems were in place, Shockwave made a careful approach of the communications officer.

Soundwave acknowledged his presence with a glance. Shockwave clasped his arms behind his back, and observed his peer's posture, the lightly agitated EM field he was emitting, and his unwavering dedication to the screen in front of him.

This quiet shuffling went on for several minutes before Shockwave's prioritizing survival over awkwardness led him to be the first to engage in conversation.

"I understand you are distressed," he began, "But I assure you, they would want you to rest under such circumstances. Refusing to take care of yourself will, by no means, make any of this faster."

He stopped for a moment as Soundwave's visor dimmed, the comms officer finally turning towards him. Shockwave continued, "To do otherwise would deplete your efficiency by--"

"Point: Understood," Soundwave interrupted. Neither of them said anything for several seconds as Soundwave stared at the ground. He then continued quietly, "Soundwave: Cannot sense symbiotic bonds."

He had been clearly overcome with worry, and the scientist, though not well practiced at such acts of compassion, felt inclined to assist. Shockwave stepped a bit closer and slowly placed his hand over the other's in a show of support, pulsing what he hoped to be a soothing calm (as opposed to, say, an apathetic calm) through his EM field. "I am aware. It is my personal theory that they have simply not awakened yet. They will arrive in due time."  
  
Soundwave paused for a moment, closed some of the less useful applications running on the terminal as well as the remaining space between them, and wrapped his arms around the science officer. "Soundwave: Appreciates consolation attempt."

The scientist in question accepted this embrace, returning it to the best of his ability with a sigh. After a few moments, he patted his partner's side three times leaning away towards the direction of their quarters. "Come, let us retire."

After receiving a nod of confirmation that Soundwave was, indeed, ready to join him, the two dragged themselves down the hall and into berth. They rested heavily with their fingers entwined and experienced a light tingle of pleasure from simply being in one another's presence.

Surely they could all recover from this experience together.


	2. Chapter 2

Raiding the power plant for supplies had been a cakewalk, to say the least. After all, there was little any human workers could do to stop four giant robots from walking in and taking as they pleased. Anyone  foolhardy enough to stand in their way was obliterated via fusion cannon without a second thought. Megatron would have liked to hang around and ensure that no fleshling survived the encounter, but for now, the parts and energy that they stole from the base was infinitely more important. As soon as they collected everything they required, Soundwave wiping out any records of their presence besides the obvious destruction, they made their way back to headquarters.

Thus, the day had already been productive, but it was not over by far. As Soundwave had his own duties to attend to, Megatron and Starscream were preoccupied with discussing their next moves, it was Shockwave's duty to turn the materials presented to him into something which could convert different forms of energy into energon. Though he had done this several times before, this request was really stretching it thin in terms of resources...But it would have to do. He was accustomed to improvisation, after all.

By the time he was prepared to retire, Shockwave had managed to fashion a converter powerful enough to fill a few small cubes using a series of modified solar panels that had been collecting light for the majority of the day. It wasn't much...But it would be enough to keep them going, at least until the next raid.

Though the time to recharge would be quite soon, there were still enough astroseconds remaining to receive a status report from the rest of his colleagues. His first inclination, of course, had been to report his progress to Megatron, who was relieved to hear that even a small stable trickle of energon had been achieved. The warlord himself had pinned not only the location of their next heist, but at least seven other locations which would prove instrumental to their continued survival. After learning more and approving of his leader's decisions, Shockwave sought out Starscream's location, only to find that the seeker had escaped to berth long ago. Though they had been able to assist with the day's operation, it was clear that the lack of flight was beginning to cause immense amounts of stress. It was last, then, that Shockwave made his way back to Soundwave, who was once again bent over a terminal.

"Progress?" the scientist prompted, sure that Soundwave would detail anything of great importance without requiring specification as to _what_ progress Shockwave was asking for.

Soundwave drummed his fingers on the top of the console, not turning from the screen as he responded, "Starscream: Physical recovery at 70%. There have been no responses to our signal as of yet." Though the signal had been meant for _any_ Cybertronian parties to respond to, it was clear that he was frustrated by the lack of cassette contact.

Distracting his partner from the matter seemed to be the best way to deal with this. "Have you run a diagnostic on Starscream's processor yet? There must be a reason their memories are taking so long to realign themselves."

"Diagnostic: Reports that Starscream recalls very little as a Cybertronian. The majority of their recollections are from the time we spent...elsewhere."

His hesitance to speak of "elsewhere" was understandable, but mention of the experience immediately aroused Shockwave's curiosity. "Yes...Elsewhere. It appears those memories comprise the majority of recollection in all parties involved." He paused, and then, "Do you know if you and I had met while...?"

The other shook his helm, now facing his peer. "I do not wish to speak of it. We may as well have been locked in stasis for twenty year cycles."

Before Shockwave could argue, something blipped on Soundwave's terminal.

The response was immediate. Soundwave snapped to attention while Shockwave called Megatron over from his table, "We have detected a signal in proximity, my liege!"

Their leader leaned over Soundwave's shoulder, "Autobot or Decepticon?"

"Autobot," came the polytonic reply.

The air between the three suddenly grew tense.

"...We _were_ searching for _any_ Cybertronian lifeforms, Megatron. In our current state it is doubtful that any lone Autobot would approach with the intention of attacking based upon faction," Shockwave reasoned.

Megatron sighed and looked towards the door. "How quickly is it coming in, Soundwave?"

"Autobot approaching at 35 miles per hour."

The warlord made a face. "...Slowly, then. Fine. Do not shoot as soon as they are in range, but be prepared to fight if we must. Continue monitoring for other signals, Soundwave. Shockwave, with me."

The two of them sat by the entrance and waited, muttering between themselves in speculation as to who this visitor could possibly be. Megatron obviously seemed to expect Prime, as he would be the only one foolish enough to approach them directly. Shockwave knew very few Autobots on a personal level, so he just nodded along and kept patient.

Nearly 45 minutes later, and the sound of shifting metal could be heard behind the door. A transformation occurred, the newcomer hesitated for a moment...And then, a small, polite knock.

Megatron swung the door open, prepared to look Prime in the optics, only to stare out into thin air.

"Ah...Yoo hoo, down here!" Perceptor waved sheepishly.

The disappointment was prominent on Megatron's face, to say the least. He walked away from entrance. "You can take this one, Shockwave."

As Shockwave took Megatron's place in the entrance way, his optic flashed with obvious interest. "What brings you here, Autobot?"

Perceptor attempted to shroud his anxiety with an air of naive amiability. "Well, you see, I picked up the signal you were broadcasting, and decided to try my luck." He tapped his fingers together, "I had been in the area because a friend of mine always wanted us to meet in Canada..."

Shockwave leaned against the entrance, his tone dry. "So, you _did_ remember."

Perceptor's EM field was awash with relief. "Sure did, buddy."

"Are there any others traveling with you?"

"Er, no. I've avoided human contact as much as possible, as we agreed. I'm certain nobody followed me here."

"And how much do you recall overall?"

"About being a Cybertronian, or being a human?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm leaving on this cliffhanger because I am terrible, terrible person.

**Author's Note:**

> Ah...First fic.  
> Feedback would be much appreciated.


End file.
